Gladiolus
by Gogo Starship
Summary: Rachel is caught in a tough decision, and Jesse helps remind her to remain true to herself. Part two of the Bouquet series.


Rachel smiled as she walked into glee, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as she anticipated her next text from Jesse. Ever since the music store incident, the two were _always _in communication, even more so now that he was back at UCLA.

Rachel sat in her seat at the back of the room, next to Mercedes. Her fellow diva was the only one that knew about her relationship with Jesse, and Rachel fully intended for it to stay that way. Rachel felt a buzz against her palm and squealed happily. When she opened it, her eyes widened in shock as Jesse's sweet voice floated through her speaker.

_Tell me how to win your heart, _

_For I haven't got a clue, _

_Bet let me start by saying,_

_I love you_

Underneath a picture of Jesse beaming at the camera, he had typed a little message for her.

_This came on the radio, and I thought of you. _

Rachel placed her hand over her heart and then beamed at Mercedes.

"Isn't he sweet?" she squealed. "Oh, I can't wait until Spring Break, it's going to be wonderful, seeing him again. He sings me to sleep, you know. Every night, I call him before bed and he sings a different Broadway song to me. Last night, he sang Maria, and I absolutely melted!"

"What happened to being single for your talent?"

"That's the great thing, Cedes, he's a fellow star, just like me. We're _both_ going places, and I don't have to be worried about being tied down!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you have a dreamy beau," Mercedes said. "You're really lucky, Rachel. Not many guys would do things like that, they'd think you're crazy."

"Well, Jesse understands. He's perfect!"

"Yeah, as you've said a few times, or maybe a _hundred_—"

"Guys, I have an announcement," Finn said, jogging into the choir room. He looked fidgety, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. "So, I thought that since the funkification crap Vocal Adrenaline did to us last year would work well on Aural Intensity, since they kinda wiped the floor with us last year and we could use all the help we can get. So we should slushie them, cause that's kinda McKinley's trademark, and then teepee their choir room, because that was annoying and I kinda want to piss Sue off."

Rachel stood up angrily. "No way! We can't funkify anyone, remember what happened last time?" she snapped, gesturing to herself. "I can't even walked down the poultry isle in the supermarket without cringing!"

"Whatever, Treasure Trail, stop playing the victim, it was over a year ago," Quinn said coldly, getting up to stand next to Finn. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Of course you do, you'll agree with anything he says!" Rachel said angrily. "And my name is _not_ Treasure Trail, or Man Hands, or RuPaul, and I'm sick and tired of being called those names!"

"Well, get used to it, Dwarf, because we're not going to stop just because you're too weak to take it. But," Santana said begrudgingly, "I guess if you help us we'll ease off."

"Yeah, I'll call you Rachel from now on," Quinn promised.

Rachel had never been more tempted to do anything in her life. She had always been disrespected, and in the long run, one bad deed would be worth the end of all her torment. But she was Rachel Berry, and she couldn't just turn away from her morals like that. But on the other hand….

"I'll think about it," she said quietly, sitting back down and whipping out her phone. She texted Mercedes so their conversation couldn't be overheard.

_Should I help?_ She typed desperately, her thumbs pressing the buttons with lightning speed. Mercedes responded instantly.

_I dunno, grl. It seems like a bad idea to me._

_I know, but they would back off for once in three years. Can I really turn that down?_

Mercedes shrugged and tucked her phone in her pocket. "You should ask your beau."

Rachel sighed uneasily. "He'll freak out, I know he will. He hates the very word funk, he won't take too kindly to me partaking in funkification, especially after last year."

"Then don't do it."

"It's not that simple!"

"How?"

"Because people like you, Mercedes. Everyone hates me. You, Kurt, and Jesse are the only people that have the gall to talk to me, and everybody else acts as if I have leprosy or something. I'm a social pariah, and honestly, I don't really care if that changes, as long as people don't purposely put me down. Them leaving me alone would be a dream come true," Rachel sighed and turned her phone over in her hands. Mr. Schuester jogged in the room, looking breathless.

"Sorry, one of my students had a question, and I had to help. So, let's get started!"

Rachel walked into her house, dropped her bag by the door, and immediately called Jesse.

"Hey, Rach. How was your day?" he asked, sounding delighted that she called. Rachel frowned.

"Terrible. Conflicting. Confusing. Any of those are great adjectives to describe the emotional whirlwind that was today," she said dramatically, collapsing on the couch and burying her face in her pillow.

"What happened?" he asked compassionately. "If you need, I can fly out and kick someone's ass for you."

"I wish you could fly out here, but to comfort me, not kick anyone's ass," she sighed. "New Directions wants to funkify Aural Intensity."

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Let me guess, Frankenteen thought it up?"

"Yes, Finn suggested it, and everyone jumped on the bandwagon immediately."

"Well," Jesse paused, obviously thinking, "you _are_ team captain. Just stop them." When Rachel was silent, Jesse immediately understood her hesitance. "Oh, god, Rachel, you can't help them!"

"Normally I wouldn't, Jesse, but they promised they would leave me alone."

"I can see why that would be a tempting offer for you," Jesse said quietly. Rachel buried her face in her hands in frustration.

"Jesse, please don't be mad at me, you don't understand, they torture me on a—"

"I'm not mad, Rach, I really can see how that would be tempting to you. You don't deserve to be treated the way they treat you, and I understand that, but can you live with yourself if you do that to someone? I understand why you would do it; they won second last year. But they won _fair and square._ They didn't funkify you, they didn't drag you down, nothing. They won because they earned it, and they certainly don't deserve whatever you guys have planned." Jesse sighed. "What exactly do you have planned? Whatever you do, please don't egg them."

"I could never. I still can't bake ever since the incident. We're going to slushie them and teepee their choir room."

"So you're essentially personalizing our methods," Jesse said, and although he was obviously trying to hide it, Rachel could hear the amusement. "Frankenteen's creative mind astounds me."

"Yes, I was surprised his two braincells could even think the idea up," Rachel admitted. "What I saw in him, I will never understand."

"Neither will I. But you're with me now, so all is forgiven. Do you still have his gold star necklace?"

"Only because it's the only one I own. The second I find a new one, this will be buried in the back yard." Rachel giggled for a moment before she grew serious. "Goodness, Jesse, I love you. I'll be counting the days until Spring Break."

"So will I, Rachel. And I just have one more thing to say about the funkification idea. You have to stand by your morals, Rachel. You need to remember who you are, and you can't just give that up to earn false respect. You'd be betraying yourself."

"Thanks, Jesse. I'll think about it."

"Good," he said neutrally, but he seemed cheerier as he raised the next topic, "So, I was thinking that over the summer, we could take a trip to New York. I heard Les Mis is coming back…"

When Rachel got to glee club the following day, she sat in the back yet again, right next to Mercedes. Finn was going over the exact specifics of their funkification plan, as Mr. Schuester had yet to arrive.

"So each of us is going to pick a different flavor, and before we slushie them, we're going to teepee the choir room. Then after they're done cleaning it all out, we'll slushie them as they're on their way to their cars."

Everyone smiled, and Santana and Brittany high-fived, even though they hadn't really done anything yet.

"So, the only question left is who's in and who's not."

Almost everyone raised their hands; only a few remained stoic, arms crossed tightly over their chests- Sam, Mercedes, and Tina. Rachel bit her lip nervously, and sensing her unease, Santana pounced.

"Listen, Man Hands, it's no big deal. And imagine how nice it'll be to finally have some respect. This isn't exactly going to be a frequent offer."

Rachel swallowed uneasily and stared down at her shoes. She finally looked up and was about to agree when a man in a grey uniform walked in, a large bouquet of beautiful red and white flowers in a crystal vase clutched in his hand.

"Who's Rachel Berry?"

Rachel perked up and raised her hand, and the man walked over to her and handed her the vase. She examined them and giggled when she realized what they were- gladiolus flowers. Strength of character. Rachel plucked the card out of its holder. It wasn't Jesse's handwriting, but it was definitely his words.

_Rachel, _

_I sent you these to remind you that you're strong, and that no matter what you do, you'll always have someone (not just anyone, mind you- the best boyfriend ever) who loves you with all their heart. _

_I'll see you in a few weeks. _

_Love you with all my heart, _

_Jesse_

Rachel set down the vase and clutched the note to her heart, her eyes pooling with tears of happiness. She handed a curious Mercedes the card and picked up the flowers once again. A glint of gold caught her eye.

Hooked around the thinnest part of the vase was a delicate gold star necklace, but this one featured her name in thin cursive lettering.

It was absolutely perfect.

Rachel unhooked her necklace from Finn and dropped it easily on the floor, excitedly replacing it with her new necklace. It took her a moment to realize everyone was staring at her.

"Who's that from?" Finn asked as he stared sadly at the discarded necklace sitting on the floor.

Rachel froze for a moment before putting on a show face. "My daddies. They like to send my little reminders like this to show me that they love me."

"Well you didn't have to throw my necklace on the floor," he said sulkily. Rachel rolled her eyes and gently fiddled with the nameplate, smiling down fondly at the flowers. Mercedes offered the card back, but before Rachel could grab it, Santana snatched it out of her hands.

"Jesse? As in St. James?"

"Why is Mr. Schuester's son sending Rachel flowers?" Brittany asked in confusion. Rachel ignored her and snatched the note back from Santana.

"Of course not. You obviously misread it," Rachel said hotly, shoving the note into her bag and pushing her bag further under her chair with her foot.

"Just because I'm a bitch doesn't mean I can't read, RuPaul," Santana snapped back. Rachel's cheeks heated.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that—"

"Whatever, who cares who it's from?" Quinn asked impatiently. "Are you in or not, Rachel?"

Rachel stared down at the bouquet in her hands and considered for a minute. She then looked directly into Quinn's eyes.

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not doing it. It's not worth it in the slightest," she said calmly. She picked her bag up off the floor and offered her arm to Mercedes. The girl took it instantly. "Have fun facing the wrath of Sue." The two walked out of the room, and the second they were out the door, they high-fived.

"I told you you should talk to Jesse," Mercedes gloated. Rachel smiled.

"Yes, you were right, I admit it," she giggled. She gently plucked a flower off of it's stem and placed it in her hair, silently thanking god for her boyfriend.

**There's part two! There will be three more, and I COULD tell you the flowers, but… Naw :)**

**You guys should check out my other stories, Led Into the Lead and So Not Normal. Yeah :)**

**Thanks to CG07 for putting up with my crap; you're totally awesome! **

**Cheers! **

**-Harlot (who doesn't own Glee) **


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